From Courage to Controversy

By

Michael J. Ybarra

Updated Sept. 25, 1998 12:15 a.m. ET

A fter losing his bearings in a fog bank while trying to make the first trans-Atlantic flight in 1927, Charles Lindbergh spotted a fishing fleet below him on the endless ocean. Buzzing one of the boats, Lindbergh leaned out of the window of the "Spirit of St. Louis" and yelled: Which way is Ireland? The flier got no response. It would be the last time anyone could ignore Lindbergh.

Thirty-three-and-a-half hours and 3,614 miles after leaving New York, Lindbergh landed in Paris. Some 150,000 well-wishers were...